Vocabulary Development and the Early Childhood Classroom
Initiated By: Kelly Wamser
As an early childhood educator, I know the importance that vocabulary plays in the day-to-day activities within the classroom. I also know that the range of vocabulary that children come to school with can vary greatly. We know that children are exposed to words from birth and are constantly acquiring new vocabulary as they grow. However, the socioeconomic status of a family can have a major impact on how many and what words a child learns. Hart and Risley (1995) found that three year olds from low income families knew about 600 fewer words than three year olds from upper income families. Later Biemiller & Slonim (2001) found that a gap in vocabulary for students from low incomes can widen to about 4, 00 words by second grade. This puts an enormous amount of pressure on early childhood teachers to ensure that all students are exposed to the necessary vocabulary to be successful in school. Early childhood teachers must find new and inventive ways to get children interested in words, word meanings, and how to acquire them. With the wide range of prior knowledge students bring to school, this is no easy task.
In the Classroom
According to the National Reading Panel (2000), one of the most clearly articulated lines of literacy education describes the strong relationship between vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension. Young children gain new knowledge at an extraordinary rate. It is important that early childhood teachers take full advantage of this by exposing children to new vocabulary early in their academic careers. “Just as teachers use the term flood of books to talk about situations in which students have many and varied opportunities to read, so flood of words is an important concept for general vocabulary development (Scott, Asselin, Henry, & Butler, 1997).” Teachers can do this through many different avenues. A Place to Start
Teachers need to have a grasp on the prior knowledge of their students in order to find a good “jumping-off” point for vocabulary. A great place for early childhood teachers to start building authentic vocabulary is by beginning with student names. Using name games, songs and poems are fun ways to get students interested in words and also help them learn their peers’ names at the same time. Building name vocabulary is important in all primary grades and can help students scaffold future learning. In the primary grades, general concept vocabulary like number and color words can also be a good place to start. Much of the vocabulary taught at the beginning of the year should be based upon what students do and do not already know.
Read Alouds
Rich, authentic texts are a way to bring forth new vocabulary in both whole group and small group instruction. Careful selection of texts can greatly influence the amount of vocabulary that a student acquires within the classroom. Exposing students to texts of different genres, cultures, and content areas can expand students’ vocabulary while providing great learning opportunities as well. Encouraging students to ask questions about texts, make connections to texts, and respond to texts are also good ways to bring out new vocabulary. Word Games
With access to the internet, teachers open up a world of opportunities for vocabulary development. The amount of websites that give access to vocabulary games is immense, giving teachers many options to fit the needs of their students. Some that I have found particularly useful in my early childhood classroom are www.starfall.com, www.spellingcity.com, and www.bbc.co.uk/schools. Each of these sites, along with thousands of others, provides students with an interactive way to learn vocabulary. Literacy Centers
Literacy centers can provide an excellent opportunity for students to work with and use newly acquired vocabulary. Independent centers also give teachers an insight into which students really understand the new vocabulary and which students need more guided practice. The types of literacy centers teachers can use are endless. Teachers can use online games, books, and writing to encourage the use of new vocabulary.
Awareness of Words
“Teachers should also be models of word learning (Blachowicz, C.L.Z. & Fisher, P. 2007).” It is important that students know that you, as the teacher, are still learning new words as well. Admitting that you may not know what a word means and then showing how you would go about finding the word’s meaning provides an excellent model for students. Teachers should help students feel comfortable to ask when they are unsure of a new word. Young students can also become aware of words by learning from each other. By letting students explain vocabulary words in a “kid language” it can significantly help others gain an understanding as well. Students need to be taught that words can follow patterns and if they come across a vocabulary word they don’t know they can look for patterns or clues to help try and figure it out. The more students are aware of words and their meanings, the better readers they will become.
Teaching Methods
Teachers are constantly acquiring new ways to support student learning. According to Christ and Wang (2010) “There are four ways teachers can support young children’s vocabulary learning: (1) provide purposeful exposure to new words, (2) intentionally teach word meanings, (3) teach word-learning strategies, and (4) offer opportunities to use newly learned words.” Teachers can provide purposeful exposure to words and word meaning through books, literacy centers, word games, and content areas. Having words up and around the classroom is another way to ensure that students are constantly seeing words with the hopes that they are able to read and understand them as well.
Many reading programs today, be it a basal program or a balanced literacy program, allow teachers the opportunity to intentionally teach new words and their meanings. One positive for a balanced literacy program is that it gives the teacher and even the students the control in selecting the vocabulary, where a basal usually tells you what words to teach with each story.
We know that all students learn differently, so providing them an array of word-learning strategies will in turn help them learn vocabulary. Some word-learning strategies teachers can show students are to look for parts of words that they already know to figure out unknown words or to use context or picture clues to support their understanding of words. Providing them with a gradual release of responsibility (Pearson & Gallagher 1983) in these strategies will help them be successful. Teachers should always start by modeling these strategies, through read alouds and writing, and then gradually allowing students the opportunity to practice and then use the strategies independently.
References
Biemiller, A., & N. Slonim. 2001. Estimating root word vocabulary growth in normative and advantaged populations: Evidence for a common sequence of vocabulary acquisition. Journal of Educational Psychology 93: 498–520.
Blachowicz, C.L.Z. & Fisher, P. (2007). Best Practices in Vocabulary Instruction. In L.B. Gambrell, L.M. Morrow, & M. Pressley (Eds.) Best Practices in Literacy Instruction (178–198).New York,NY: TheGuilfordPress.
Christ, T., & Wang, X. C. 2010. Bridging the vocabulary gap: What the research tells us about vocabulary instruction in early childhood. Young Children 84-91 National Association for the Education of Young Children
Hart, B., & T. Risley. 1995. Meaningful differences in the everyday experience of young children. Baltimore: Brookes.
National ReadingPanel (2000). Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction. Washington, DC: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
Initiated By: Kelly Wamser
As an early childhood educator, I know the importance that vocabulary plays in the day-to-day activities within the classroom. I also know that the range of vocabulary that children come to school with can vary greatly. We know that children are exposed to words from birth and are constantly acquiring new vocabulary as they grow. However, the socioeconomic status of a family can have a major impact on how many and what words a child learns. Hart and Risley (1995) found that three year olds from low income families knew about 600 fewer words than three year olds from upper income families. Later Biemiller & Slonim (2001) found that a gap in vocabulary for students from low incomes can widen to about 4, 00 words by second grade. This puts an enormous amount of pressure on early childhood teachers to ensure that all students are exposed to the necessary vocabulary to be successful in school. Early childhood teachers must find new and inventive ways to get children interested in words, word meanings, and how to acquire them. With the wide range of prior knowledge students bring to school, this is no easy task.
In the Classroom
According to the National Reading Panel (2000), one of the most clearly articulated lines of literacy education describes the strong relationship between vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension. Young children gain new knowledge at an extraordinary rate. It is important that early childhood teachers take full advantage of this by exposing children to new vocabulary early in their academic careers. “Just as teachers use the term flood of books to talk about situations in which students have many and varied opportunities to read, so flood of words is an important concept for general vocabulary development (Scott, Asselin, Henry, & Butler, 1997).” Teachers can do this through many different avenues.
A Place to Start
Teachers need to have a grasp on the prior knowledge of their students in order to find a good “jumping-off” point for vocabulary. A great place for early childhood teachers to start building authentic vocabulary is by beginning with student names. Using name games, songs and poems are fun ways to get students interested in words and also help them learn their peers’ names at the same time. Building name vocabulary is important in all primary grades and can help students scaffold future learning. In the primary grades, general concept vocabulary like number and color words can also be a good place to start. Much of the vocabulary taught at the beginning of the year should be based upon what students do and do not already know.
Image of Name Word Wall from http://www.nellieedge.com/Inside%20Kindergarten%20Classrooms/writingtoread.htm
Read Alouds
Rich, authentic texts are a way to bring forth new vocabulary in both whole group and small group instruction. Careful selection of texts can greatly influence the amount of vocabulary that a student acquires within the classroom. Exposing students to texts of different genres, cultures, and content areas can expand students’ vocabulary while providing great learning opportunities as well. Encouraging students to ask questions about texts, make connections to texts, and respond to texts are also good ways to bring out new vocabulary.
Word Games
With access to the internet, teachers open up a world of opportunities for vocabulary development. The amount of websites that give access to vocabulary games is immense, giving teachers many options to fit the needs of their students. Some that I have found particularly useful in my early childhood classroom are www.starfall.com, www.spellingcity.com, and www.bbc.co.uk/schools. Each of these sites, along with thousands of others, provides students with an interactive way to learn vocabulary.
Literacy Centers
Literacy centers can provide an excellent opportunity for students to work with and use newly acquired vocabulary. Independent centers also give teachers an insight into which students really understand the new vocabulary and which students need more guided practice. The types of literacy centers teachers can use are endless. Teachers can use online games, books, and writing to encourage the use of new vocabulary.
Image of literacy center retrieved from http://www.mrsruoff.org/welcome%20to%20kindergarten.htm
Awareness of Words
“Teachers should also be models of word learning (Blachowicz, C.L.Z. & Fisher, P. 2007).” It is important that students know that you, as the teacher, are still learning new words as well. Admitting that you may not know what a word means and then showing how you would go about finding the word’s meaning provides an excellent model for students. Teachers should help students feel comfortable to ask when they are unsure of a new word. Young students can also become aware of words by learning from each other. By letting students explain vocabulary words in a “kid language” it can significantly help others gain an understanding as well. Students need to be taught that words can follow patterns and if they come across a vocabulary word they don’t know they can look for patterns or clues to help try and figure it out. The more students are aware of words and their meanings, the better readers they will become.
Teaching Methods
Teachers are constantly acquiring new ways to support student learning. According to Christ and Wang (2010) “There are four ways teachers can support young children’s vocabulary learning: (1) provide purposeful exposure to new words, (2) intentionally teach word meanings, (3) teach word-learning strategies, and (4) offer opportunities to use newly learned words.” Teachers can provide purposeful exposure to words and word meaning through books, literacy centers, word games, and content areas. Having words up and around the classroom is another way to ensure that students are constantly seeing words with the hopes that they are able to read and understand them as well.
Many reading programs today, be it a basal program or a balanced literacy program, allow teachers the opportunity to intentionally teach new words and their meanings. One positive for a balanced literacy program is that it gives the teacher and even the students the control in selecting the vocabulary, where a basal usually tells you what words to teach with each story.
We know that all students learn differently, so providing them an array of word-learning strategies will in turn help them learn vocabulary. Some word-learning strategies teachers can show students are to look for parts of words that they already know to figure out unknown words or to use context or picture clues to support their understanding of words. Providing them with a gradual release of responsibility (Pearson & Gallagher 1983) in these strategies will help them be successful. Teachers should always start by modeling these strategies, through read alouds and writing, and then gradually allowing students the opportunity to practice and then use the strategies independently.
References
Biemiller, A., & N. Slonim. 2001. Estimating root word vocabulary growth in normative and advantaged populations: Evidence for a common sequence of vocabulary acquisition. Journal of Educational Psychology 93: 498–520.
Blachowicz, C.L.Z. & Fisher, P. (2007). Best Practices in Vocabulary Instruction. In L.B. Gambrell, L.M. Morrow, & M. Pressley (Eds.) Best Practices in Literacy Instruction (178–198).New York,NY: TheGuilfordPress.
Christ, T., & Wang, X. C. 2010. Bridging the vocabulary gap: What the research tells us about vocabulary instruction in early childhood. Young Children 84-91 National Association for the Education of Young Children
Hart, B., & T. Risley. 1995. Meaningful differences in the everyday experience of young
children. Baltimore: Brookes.
National ReadingPanel (2000). Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction. Washington, DC: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.